Twogood Couldn't Begin New Position with 'Cloud over the Appointment'

This wasn’t the first time Mark Twogood had been offered the position of Town Manager. It just happened to be the first time he accepted it.

Twogood, who has spent more than two decades working in Winchester, 20 over those years in the town manager’s office, said that the situation in place last July was ideal for him to eventually become Winchester’s Town Manager.

“Timing is everything,” Twogood said. “There were a number of reasons and my own beliefs that I elected not to take the Town Manager position [in the past]. But in July, I agreed to do it as a team with I was originally offered the position of Acting Town Manager [in July], but for personal reasons I didn’t accept that position.”

Twogood, who had been the town’s assistant town manager, accepted the , but on Monday night the board said Twogood decided to turn down the position.

According to a letter Twogood sent to the board, he said based on public perception that his selection was secretive.

"Concerns were expressed at last Thursday's Board of Selectmen meeting regarding the process and the fact these discussions were held in executive session, portraying a less than positive image as to what has transpired," Twogood wrote. "Additional comments have surfaced in online news publications since Thursday.

Selectman Roger Berman had called those comments “digital heckling.” According to Twogood, comments made by Selectman Doug Marmon last Thursday night didn’t help the situation. Marmon had said that the decision was made behind closed doors and without listening to the community.

“It just took on a life of its own, commenters portrayed it as something it wasn’t,” Twogood said. “There were comments made at the Selectmen’s Table that, in my opinion, helped this take on a life of its own.”

According to Twogood, he and Lannon have been left in charge to run the town since

“The board had faith in us and they trusted us,” Twogood said. “We received support from various boards, and the selectmen were not involved in the day-to-day stuff. We ran the place, and for the last several months, in my opinion, we did a phenomenal opinion.”

Twogood and Lannon plan on continuing in their roles until a permanent Town Manager is found. But according to Twogood, he couldn’t begin the role of Town Manager with the negativity that surrounded the position.

“There were a lot of comments made at the table that was disturbing to me,” Twogood said. “Anyone that portrays this process of anything less than clean is wrong.

“I just can’t start this new position like this; with a cloud over the appointment. This isn’t how I operate. I’m a person of a high integrity and frankly, I find it offensive.”